Urban Social Movements and Housing in Hong Kong: From Antagonism to Guided Participation

Abstract

Social movements have been important driving forces behind the social and political development in Hong Kong over the past twenty years. This paper traces the development of such movements from the late 1970s to the present moment and attempts to investigate how such seemingly destabilizing forces have evolved to generate a dynamically stable environment in which both the provision of social services and the political system have been enhanced. Yet, political development in the 1990s and the changeover of sovereignty have brought new parameters to the social and political arenas. Party politics and radical movements have emerged in the urban social movement scene. The government has also initiated its own participatory mechanism in collective consumption areas, and a new strategy is beginning to take shape. Such a move is illustrated by the Estate Management Advisory Committee scheme for public housing estates. It signifies the striking of a consensus over a stability strategy in which guided participation (similar to the Singapore style) has been employed. This strategy should impact the delivery of local public services and other aspects of local politics.